Ardian, the independent private investment company, has signed an agreement to acquire Competence Call Center Group (CCC), one of the leading BPO service providers in Europe. The investment will be made via the Ardian Expansion Fund IV. The shares are being sold by the pan-European private equity firm Silverfleet Capital.
As part of the transaction, the management team headed by Christian Legat (CEO), Ulf Herbrechter (COO) and Thomas Nemec (CFO) will hold a significant stake in the company and will lead CCC during its next phase of growth. All parties have agreed on confidentiality of the financial details of the transaction, which is subject to antitrust approval.
Founded in Austria in 1998, CCC is today headquartered in Berlin. With more than 5,500 employees, the company offers high-quality BPO solutions in 28 languages and serves more than 80 customers in Europe. The group operates from 18 locations across eight countries, ten of which are based in the DACH region, four in Eastern Europe, three in Turkey, and one in France. The company has secured a leading market position in the DACH region. CCC’s range of services includes social media monitoring, up/cross selling, complaint management and technical support. The company offers a broad range of communication solutions across telephone, e-mail, chat and social media channels.
Ardian already invested in CCC via its AXA Expansion Fund II between 2009 and 2013, when it helped the fast-growing company implement its international expansion strategy. During this phase, the number of employees more than doubled. With Ardian’s renewed support, CCC plans to further strengthen its leading position in the German-speaking region.
As one of the last independent European providers, CCC also strives to play an active role in the ongoing market consolidation of BPO services in Europe. To achieve these objectives, it plans to expand its business with existing and new customers, broaden its service offer and enter new markets. Particularly in light of the trend towards increasing digitalization, this aspect harbors considerable potential for growth in providing customers with new services.
Christian Legat, CEO of CCC, said: “Ardian’s team led by Dirk Wittneben and Marc Abadir has a very good understanding of our business model and relevant market drivers. The cooperation we had from 2009 to 2013 was highly successful, and we are convinced that we can continue to build on this success. Thanks to our excellent position in the German-speaking market and a unique customer portfolio containing companies that are leaders in their respective segments, we are well-positioned to acquire new customers and to convince them of the attractiveness of our services. At the same time, we also want to achieve further growth through business with existing customers by continuously expanding our product range. In doing so, we draw on the newest technological solutions via all communication channels to generate real added value for our customers and to cover a broader value-added spectrum.”
Dirk Wittneben, Managing Director, Ardian Expansion, said: “We look forward to accompanying CCC’s outstanding management team led Christian Legat, Ulf Herbrechter and Thomas Nemec in its next phase of growth. With this transaction, we are also underscoring our competence in supporting companies in highly different development stages and of various sizes.” Marc Abadir, Managing Director, Ardian Expansion, added: “Based on our very positive experiences, we are pleased to assist the CCC team in the continuation of its success story once again. As a leading high-quality provider, we are convinced that CCC will continue to benefit from the fast-changing communication habits of consumers and the increasing importance of customer dialogue for brand development.”